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  <div class="section" id="execute-process">
<span id="command:execute_process"></span><h1>execute_process<a class="headerlink" href="#execute-process" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h1>
<p>Execute one or more child processes.</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">execute_process(</span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;cmd1&gt;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nv">&lt;arguments&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;cmd2&gt;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nv">&lt;arguments&gt;</span><span class="p">]]...</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">WORKING_DIRECTORY</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;directory&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">TIMEOUT</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;seconds&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">RESULT_VARIABLE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;variable&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">RESULTS_VARIABLE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;variable&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">OUTPUT_VARIABLE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;variable&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">ERROR_VARIABLE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;variable&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">INPUT_FILE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;file&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">OUTPUT_FILE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;file&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">ERROR_FILE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;file&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">OUTPUT_QUIET</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">ERROR_QUIET</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">COMMAND_ECHO</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;where&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">ERROR_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"></span>
<span class="w">                </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">ENCODING</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;name&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="nf">)</span><span class="w"></span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Runs the given sequence of one or more commands.</p>
<p>Commands are executed concurrently as a pipeline, with the standard
output of each process piped to the standard input of the next.
A single standard error pipe is used for all processes.</p>
<p>Options:</p>
<dl>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code></dt><dd><p>A child process command line.</p>
<p>CMake executes the child process using operating system APIs directly.
All arguments are passed VERBATIM to the child process.
No intermediate shell is used, so shell operators such as <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&gt;</span></code>
are treated as normal arguments.
(Use the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INPUT_*</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT_*</span></code>, and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ERROR_*</span></code> options to
redirect stdin, stdout, and stderr.)</p>
<p>If a sequential execution of multiple commands is required, use multiple
<span class="target" id="index-0-command:execute_process"></span><a class="reference internal" href="#command:execute_process" title="execute_process"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">execute_process()</span></code></a> calls with a single <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code> argument.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">WORKING_DIRECTORY</span></code></dt><dd><p>The named directory will be set as the current working directory of
the child processes.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TIMEOUT</span></code></dt><dd><p>After the specified number of seconds (fractions allowed), all unfinished
child processes will be terminated, and the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">RESULT_VARIABLE</span></code> will be
set to a string mentioning the “timeout”.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">RESULT_VARIABLE</span></code></dt><dd><p>The variable will be set to contain the result of last child process.
This will be an integer return code from the last child or a string
describing an error condition.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">RESULTS_VARIABLE</span> <span class="pre">&lt;variable&gt;</span></code></dt><dd><p>The variable will be set to contain the result of all processes as a
<a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-language.7.html#cmake-language-lists"><span class="std std-ref">semicolon-separated list</span></a>, in order of the
given <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code> arguments.  Each entry will be an integer return code
from the corresponding child or a string describing an error condition.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT_VARIABLE</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ERROR_VARIABLE</span></code></dt><dd><p>The variable named will be set with the contents of the standard output
and standard error pipes, respectively.  If the same variable is named
for both pipes their output will be merged in the order produced.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">INPUT_FILE,</span> <span class="pre">OUTPUT_FILE</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ERROR_FILE</span></code></dt><dd><p>The file named will be attached to the standard input of the first
process, standard output of the last process, or standard error of
all processes, respectively.  If the same file is named for both
output and error then it will be used for both.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT_QUIET</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ERROR_QUIET</span></code></dt><dd><p>The standard output or standard error results will be quietly ignored.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND_ECHO</span> <span class="pre">&lt;where&gt;</span></code></dt><dd><p>The command being run will be echo’ed to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;where&gt;</span></code> with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;where&gt;</span></code>
being set to one of <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">STDERR</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">STDOUT</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">NONE</span></code>.
See the <span class="target" id="index-0-variable:CMAKE_EXECUTE_PROCESS_COMMAND_ECHO"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../variable/CMAKE_EXECUTE_PROCESS_COMMAND_ECHO.html#variable:CMAKE_EXECUTE_PROCESS_COMMAND_ECHO" title="CMAKE_EXECUTE_PROCESS_COMMAND_ECHO"><code class="xref cmake cmake-variable docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMAKE_EXECUTE_PROCESS_COMMAND_ECHO</span></code></a> variable for a way
to control the default behavior when this option is not present.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ENCODING</span> <span class="pre">&lt;name&gt;</span></code></dt><dd><p>On Windows, the encoding that is used to decode output from the process.
Ignored on other platforms.
Valid encoding names are:</p>
<dl class="simple">
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">NONE</span></code></dt><dd><p>Perform no decoding.  This assumes that the process output is encoded
in the same way as CMake’s internal encoding (UTF-8).
This is the default.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">AUTO</span></code></dt><dd><p>Use the current active console’s codepage or if that isn’t
available then use ANSI.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ANSI</span></code></dt><dd><p>Use the ANSI codepage.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OEM</span></code></dt><dd><p>Use the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) code page.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">UTF8</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">UTF-8</span></code></dt><dd><p>Use the UTF-8 codepage. Prior to CMake 3.11.0, only <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">UTF8</span></code> was accepted
for this encoding. In CMake 3.11.0, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">UTF-8</span></code> was added for consistency with
the <a class="reference external" href="https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3629">UTF-8 RFC</a> naming convention.</p>
</dd>
</dl>
</dd>
</dl>
<p>If more than one <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT_*</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ERROR_*</span></code> option is given for the
same pipe the precedence is not specified.
If no <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT_*</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ERROR_*</span></code> options are given the output will
be shared with the corresponding pipes of the CMake process itself.</p>
<p>The <span class="target" id="index-1-command:execute_process"></span><a class="reference internal" href="#command:execute_process" title="execute_process"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">execute_process()</span></code></a> command is a newer more powerful version of
<span class="target" id="index-0-command:exec_program"></span><a class="reference internal" href="exec_program.html#command:exec_program" title="exec_program"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">exec_program()</span></code></a>, but the old command has been kept for compatibility.
Both commands run while CMake is processing the project prior to build
system generation.  Use <span class="target" id="index-0-command:add_custom_target"></span><a class="reference internal" href="add_custom_target.html#command:add_custom_target" title="add_custom_target"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_target()</span></code></a> and
<span class="target" id="index-0-command:add_custom_command"></span><a class="reference internal" href="add_custom_command.html#command:add_custom_command" title="add_custom_command"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command()</span></code></a> to create custom commands that run at
build time.</p>
</div>


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